Reading Passage Question
Despite its 1989 designation as a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act, the desert tortoise, Gopherus agassizii, has declined in numbers by ninety percent since the 1980s. Although federal protection made it illegal to harm desert tortoises or remove them from the wild of the southwestern North American deserts, this measure has been insufficient to reverse the species’ decline, and further intervention is required.
Recovery has been slow, partly due to the desert tortoise’s low reproductive potential. Females breed only after reaching full size at fifteen to twenty years of age, and even then may only lay eggs when adequate forage is available. Although the number of eggs in each clutch varies, and each female might lay a few clutches in one season, the average mature female produces only a few eggs annually. From these precious eggs, hatchlings emerge wearing soft shells that will harden slowly into protective armor over the next five years. The vulnerable young are entirely neglected by adult tortoises, and only five percent ultimately reach adulthood.
Predators are blamed for most tortoise deaths; ravens, specifically, are estimated to cause more than half of the juvenile tortoise deaths in the Mojave Desert. Tortoise eggs and juveniles, with their delicate shells, can fall prey to many birds, mammals, and other reptiles. For protection from predators, as well as from desert temperature extremes, tortoises of all ages burrow into the earth. However, if rabbits and rodents are scarce, larger mammalian predators may dig tortoises out of their burrows, devouring even mature tortoises despite their hardened shells.
Even with current protections from human interference, the desert tortoise faces a tough recovery, so additional measures must be taken. First, the limited habitat of desert tortoises, with soil suitable for their burrows, must be protected from development. Next, urban expansion often has the unintended effect of increasing raven populations, so aggressive measures to control the birds are necessary to increase desert tortoise hatchling survival rates. Finally, released captive tortoises typically perish, and can pass upper respiratory tract disease into the wild population with devastating consequences.
Though desert tortoises are well adapted to arid habitats, and adults can survive a year without access to water, they rely heavily on moisture in the vegetation consumed in spring, when they surface from their hibernal dormancy. The loss of native plants to grazing livestock and invasive plant species, then, may lessen the tortoise’s resistance to pathogens, though the tortoises do also dig precipitation basins in the soil and linger near one when rain is impending.
“Despite its 1989 designation as a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act” - is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.
This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 8 comprehension questions. The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions checks the candidates’ abilities in understanding, analyzing, and applying information. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.
Solution and Explanation
- It can be inferred from the passage that the desert tortoise mortality rate would be most likely to decrease if which of the following were true?
(A) Desert tortoise burrows were cooler.
(B) Male and female tortoises mated more frequently.
(C) Adult tortoises provided better care for their young.
(D) Forage plants were abundant in the habitat of the desert tortoise.
(E) Rabbits were abundant in the habitat of the desert tortoise.
Answer: E
Explanation: As per the passage, larger mammalian predators eat desert tortoises when rabbits and rodents are hard to find. If rabbits were plentiful, the predators would not search for the desert tortoise. Hence, their mortality rate would definitely decrease. Hence, rabbits should be abundant and option E states the same. This makes E the correct choice.
- The passage mentions each of the following as reasons that the desert tortoise is a threatened species EXCEPT
(A) expansion of urban areas near the desert tortoise habitat
(B) the low reproductive rate of desert tortoises
(C) desert temperature extremes
(D) predation by ravens
(E) the release of captive tortoises by pet owners
Answer: C
Explanation: The author mentions desert temperature extremes in the third paragraph of the passage. These extreme temperatures are a reason for the desert tortoises to burrow into the earth. This is not a reason that the desert tortoise is a threatened species. Hence, C is the correct answer.
- The primary intent of the passage is to do which of the following?
(A) Describe the lifecycle of a species
(B) Advocate future actions
(C) Discuss a problem
(D) Evaluate past actions
(E) Criticize the government
Answer: B
Explanation: The author in the last paragraph strongly states that “additional measures must be taken,”. The passage then states several actions to be taken in the future. Hence, advocating several actions in future is the main intent, making B the correct answer.
- Previous efforts to protect the desert tortoise are regarded by the author with
(A) weary skepticism
(B) complete satisfaction
(C) implied opposition
(D) qualified approval
(E) overt disdain
Answer: D
Explanation: The author approves of the designation of the desert tortoise as a threatened species. However, in the passage, the author qualifies that approval with the assertion that “additional measures must be taken.” Hence, it is a qualified approval, making D the correct answer.
- The passage implies that precipitation in the desert tortoise’s habitat
(A) falls approximately once a year
(B) increases the tortoise’s resistance to pathogens
(C) falls mainly in the spring
(D) is consumed primarily by grazing livestock
(E) is collected by the tortoises intentionally
Answer: E
Explanation: As per the passage, "Though desert tortoises are well adapted to arid ……… rely heavily on moisture in the vegetation consumed in spring". This means that they collect and store their own precipitation. This is done intentionally to survive. Hence, E is the correct answer.
- The passage implies that a mature female desert tortoise
(A) has little contact with its offspring after birth
(B) might produce only one surviving offspring each decade
(C) has a softer shell than a mature male desert tortoise
(D) produces fewer offspring than a mature male desert tortoise
(E) reaches reproductive maturity at a later age than a male desert tortoise
Answer: A
Explanation: The passage states that "The vulnerable young are entirely neglected by adult tortoises,". This clearly means that female tortoises have no or very little contact with newborns. Vulnerable young means newborns and hence, A is the correct answer.
- The author uses the adjective “precious” in the sixth sentence of the first paragraph most likely to emphasize that:
(A) the number of eggs produced by female desert tortoises is limited
(B) the shells of desert tortoise eggs are delicate and easily broken
(C) desert tortoise eggs have high economic value
(D) the eggs are fiercely protected by the female desert tortoise
(E) predators, such as mammals and other reptiles, forage for desert tortoise eggs
Answer: A
Explanation: The author states in the passage that the female tortoises lay very few eggs in a year. In the next sentence itself, the author uses the word precious. This means that since the eggs are limited, they are also very precious. Hence, A is the correct answer.
- The primary purpose of the passage is to
(A) describe the lifecycle of a species
(B) discuss the threats faced by a certain species
(C) advocate research on a disease wide-spread among captive animals
(D) evaluate potential solutions to a wildlife problem
(E) criticize federal legislation protecting a certain species
Answer: B
Explanation: The author starts the passage by stating the threat that the specific species of tortoise are facing. The passage also goes on to describe different factors that threaten their existence. Hence, we can say that the passage talks about the threats faced by certain species of tortoise. Hence, B is the correct answer.
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